{"id":806,"date":"2015-08-08T10:45:20","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T10:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pa2015.mwc-cmm.org\/?p=806"},"modified":"2026-03-28T00:35:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T00:35:50","slug":"part-of-a-bigger-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Part of a bigger family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Youth program encourages trust-filled interactions<\/em>
By Laura Kraybill<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut The Lord said to me, \u2018Don\u2019t say \u201cI am too young,\u201d\u2019 proclaimed a chorus of young voices 24 July 2015 at the youth program for MWC\u2019s PA 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Andrew
Andrew Kipfer, USA, does a trust fall with a group of youth at PA 2015.
PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Kraybill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sprawled across the concrete floor of the youth hall, several hundred teenagers began their morning with this affirmation from Jeremiah 1:7\u20138.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture recitation led into an energetic message by Domink Bergen. He encouraged participants to minister to<\/em> and receive ministry from<\/em> others, including their own parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, participants partnered up with someone new to discuss who they want to emulate in life. Partners physically mirrored one another as they took turns acting out leading and following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t just want to talk to them and then have a band play music,\u201d said Egon Sawatzky, youth pastor of Concordia Mennonite Brethren Church in Asuncion, Paraguay, and program coordinator for youth and children at PA 2015. \u201cWe want the youth to have experiences with each other and with God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means getting into pairs or small groups for activities and discussion related to the themes on \u201cWalking with God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yujin
Yujin Kim from South Korea and the United States, Melanie Jonnalagadda from India and Canada mirror each other’s movements.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sawatzky is encouraged that youth are crossing barriers. He mentions a 17-year-old \u201cwho looked almost grown-up\u201d and a 12 or 13-year-old boy. \u201cThey sat together talking and laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These interactions \u201chelp us get out of our comfort zones,\u201d remarked one young person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of youth that had just engaged in a trust fall exercise were enthusiastic about the connections they were making. \u201cYou don\u2019t feel alone. You have a larger family,\u201d said one group member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another chimed in, \u201cThis gives us an idea of how big the Mennonite church is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonas Beachy of New Hope Bible Church in Oregon likes the challenges of what he\u2019s hearing. \u201cIt gets you thinking about your relationship with God, praying about many things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this experience, are youth planning to attend the assembly in 2021? A chorus of voices responded: \u201cI hope so!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura Kraybill is from Elkhart, Indiana, and will begin studies at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary this fall in the Master of Divinity program. For the past five years Kraybill directed the theater program at Hesston College in Kansas.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Youth program encourages trust-filled interactionsBy Laura Kraybill \u201cBut The Lord said to me, \u2018Don\u2019t say \u201cI am too young,\u201d\u2019 proclaimed a chorus of young voices 24 July 2015 at the youth program for MWC\u2019s PA 2015. Sprawled across the concrete floor of the youth hall, several hundred teenagers began their morning with this affirmation from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1561,1712,1],"tags":[189,1716,1717,267,1718,1719,1568,1720],"network":[],"eventcategory":[299],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","category-tomigrate","category-uncategorized","tag-assembly","tag-egon-sawatzky","tag-laura-kraybill","tag-pa-2015","tag-pa2015","tag-pa2015-children-and-youth","tag-tomigrate","tag-youth-program","eventcategory-assembly"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPart of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Part of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Youth program encourages trust-filled interactionsBy Laura Kraybill \u201cBut The Lord said to me, \u2018Don\u2019t say \u201cI am too young,\u201d\u2019 proclaimed a chorus of young voices 24 July 2015 at the youth program for MWC\u2019s PA 2015. Sprawled across the concrete floor of the youth hall, several hundred teenagers began their morning with this affirmation from […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mennworldcon\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"mennworldcon\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11f6ae0d7d1868ba20a1cc27f067c836\"},\"headline\":\"Part of a bigger family\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\"},\"wordCount\":404,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Assembly\",\"Egon Sawatzky\",\"Laura Kraybill\",\"PA 2015\",\"PA2015\",\"PA2015 children and youth\",\"tomigrate\",\"youth program\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blogs\",\"tomigrate\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\",\"name\":\"Part of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Andrew Kipfer, USA, does a trust fall with a group of youth at PA 2015. PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Kraybill\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Part of a bigger family\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"description\":\"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"width\":786,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"Mennonite World Conference\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mwcmm\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/mwccmm\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mwcmm.bsky.social\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11f6ae0d7d1868ba20a1cc27f067c836\",\"name\":\"mennworldcon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mennworldcon\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/author\/mennworldcon\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Part of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Part of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference","og_description":"Youth program encourages trust-filled interactionsBy Laura Kraybill \u201cBut The Lord said to me, \u2018Don\u2019t say \u201cI am too young,\u201d\u2019 proclaimed a chorus of young voices 24 July 2015 at the youth program for MWC\u2019s PA 2015. Sprawled across the concrete floor of the youth hall, several hundred teenagers began their morning with this affirmation from […]","og_url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/","og_site_name":"Mennonite World Conference","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","article_published_time":"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"mennworldcon","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/"},"author":{"name":"mennworldcon","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11f6ae0d7d1868ba20a1cc27f067c836"},"headline":"Part of a bigger family","datePublished":"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/"},"wordCount":404,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Assembly","Egon Sawatzky","Laura Kraybill","PA 2015","PA2015","PA2015 children and youth","tomigrate","youth program"],"articleSection":["Blogs","tomigrate"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/","name":"Part of a bigger family - Mennonite World Conference","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2015-08-08T10:45:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-28T00:35:50+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ythprgrm-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Andrew Kipfer, USA, does a trust fall with a group of youth at PA 2015. PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Kraybill"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/part-of-a-bigger-family\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Part of a bigger family"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","name":"Mennonite World Conference","description":"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"MWC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Mennonite World Conference","alternateName":"MWC","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","width":786,"height":82,"caption":"Mennonite World Conference"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mwcmm\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/mwccmm","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mwcmm.bsky.social"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11f6ae0d7d1868ba20a1cc27f067c836","name":"mennworldcon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/06fdc0dc81c157dfdb82ec42f252178a22307808988d22c043f9eb96f1e0fe80?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mennworldcon"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org"],"url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/author\/mennworldcon\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"network","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/network?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"eventcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eventcategory?post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}